Eternity
by H. Harlow
Summary: The mark of the Saiyan beast inside of him had never felt so good, yet he fought it with every thread of his body; he needed who he could not have, but no matter what she did to him, he would remain forever hers. BraxGoten. (Sequel to "Her Prince"! Rated M: Sexual Activity, Violence, Abuse, Language.) Reviews are welcome and GREATLY appreciated!
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Dragonball Z, GT, or anything involving the series. They are the property of their respectful owners and I do not make the first dime for any of my work. This story is simply made for the entertainment of others. Thank you!

A/N: Surprise! I have decided to go ahead and make a sequel to Her Prince, a continuation of the BraxGoten cliffhanger. This story has a MUCH more intense plot line, in my opinion. I just hope that I can nail it because I know I'm not the best writer in the world. Thank you all so much!

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PROLOGUE

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His body ached. _Of all the people… why? _He watched her beautiful, smooth, exposed legs walk away from the small group to speak with Pan, her new sister-in-law. He attempted to follow her, but the sane side of him stopped in his tracks, frozen. He couldn't cope with being mated with her.

He turned around and walked away from the crowd, unknowingly appearing to be following Bra, who was taking a quick trip to the restroom; something to do with her lipstick, he presumed for what he had overheard. Instead of cornering his prey in the restroom of the Capsule Corporation, he stepped out onto a small balcony, letting the cool breeze rustle his hair. Was he simply destined to become enemies with his best friend, much against his will? He knew that Trunks would not take lightly to the new situation. Sighing loudly, he turned around, observing her graceful walk of return down the long, open hallway; the feeling took over him again, and this time, he couldn't stop himself. When he opened the door, Bra turned around and saw Goten behind her. "Hey Goten! Are you having fun?"

Simply hearing her beautiful, angelic voice had pushed him to his peak. Goten could feel the fire inside of his soul, too strong to tame or control. Before he was aware of what was happening, he ran towards the young woman and gripped her shoulders tightly to swing her against the wall beside them. He looked at her with strong, miserable eyes, aching for her. Their bodies were closer than he was aware. After the surprise impact, Bulla opened her eyes and returned the eye contact.

And that's all it took.


	2. Chapter 1 - Mark

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball Z or anything related to the series. This story is for entertainment purposes only and I do not make the first dime for my work (and I don't want to.) Thank you!

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Chapter 1

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Goten's uneasy gaze rested on the beautiful view of the setting sun saying its farewell of the day; he had not seen or heard from Bra since their spontaneous encounter on New Year's Eve. Despite several, thorough washes of his bedclothes, her scent remained in his residence. He felt as though it was a reminder that a piece of his soul had gone with her when she had returned to the capsule corporation. The New Year 's Eve party had replayed over and over in his head, constantly searching for what had possibly possessed him to do what he had did.

Even he did not feel as though he was the same person since he shared this deep, burning intimacy with her. His soul was raging, roaring stronger than any fire that could occur on any of the land on earth. He recalled the birth of his beautiful niece and Pan's brush with death; Bra was merely feet from him on many occasions and he had felt as he always did. Why that night? Why Bra? What was happening to him?

_They have had this bond since the moment their eyes met... There's nothing any of us can do about it! _He absorbed his brother's advice on that day that he had learned of Trunks marking his niece; His innocent niece that he had held in the tiny bundle of blankets just moments after she was born. The anguish he had felt when his best friend had destroyed her innocence and had impregnated her with a child that nearly killed her.

It wasn't him that marked his niece. It was the Saiyan heritage in the works. That damned heritage of his.

He remained in his home ever since that day, which was uncommon for him. He felt as though he had too much reflecting to do. He asked himself on many occasions if he had regretted the encounter; he still had no answer.

He picked up the phones and stared at the buttons for what seemed like an eternity. He could always call her, but could he face her after what they had done? Would she be willing to face him? Instead, he dialed a different number and held the receiver up to his ear. He waited for several seconds for an answer. _"Hello?"_

"Hey, bro…" He ran his fingers through his thick, black hair. "Are you home?"

"_I am. Why?"_

"Is it all right if I come over…?"

"_Sure! Why wouldn't it be? … Are you okay?"_

Goten paused, watching the snowflakes delicately fall from the sky. "I don't know. I'll be over."

Before Gohan could push the conversation further, his younger brother hung up and looked through the window again, preparing for the grueling conversation ahead of him; the oldest brother was the only one he felt he could trust, and possibly understand, what had happened. Without bothering to grab a coat, he simply walked out his door. The bitter cold of the air that filled his lungs had numbed his entire being; just what he needed. He walked, hands in his pockets and eyes to the ground, northeast of his home, allowing the falling snowflakes to decorate him. His mood was too deep to think. The snow crunched quietly underneath his feet, feeling the light moisture seep into his shoes. He could care less about the weather.

He had arrived at Gohan's house and knocked on the door. Gohan nearly immediately answered, as though he was standing there, waiting on him. "Where's your coat?" Goten continued staring at the 'Welcome' Door mat that was underneath his feet. "…. Come in. You're freezing, my brother!"

Without looking at the man of the house, he had entered his home, instantly feeling the warm heat from the fireplace welcoming him. He looked up only to watch the flames dance, which he felt had lit the passion that he previously felt. He suddenly imagined making love to Bra in front of this fireplace. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to shun the imagery from his thoughts. "Where's Videl?"

"She's in the bedroom, reading," Gohan pointed to the staircase, not taking his eyes off of his younger sibling.

"Good." He plopped on the large couch in front of the fireplaces, continuing to observe the flames flicker in front of him.

"Goten… you can tell me anything," Gohan sat beside Goten, who slowly closed his eyes. "Can you tell me more about the Saiyan's mating mark?" After a few seconds of silence, Goten finally looked up, only to be met with an incredulous stare. "What –"

"Gohan, cut the bullshit. I just want to know."

Gohan folded his arms, secretly weighing his chances of prying Goten of his reasons. "The mark…" he started. "It was slightly different for me, since Videl is human, but the outcome is still the same. It is basically where your soul connects to someone. It's like your entire purpose in life changes."

Goten raised an eyebrow. "Elaborate."

The older brother clicked his tongue. "This does not occur until after you…" he paused, lowering his eyebrows. "Make love. After you do so, your emotions are tied with the partner for life. As far as I know, you cannot break the bond." Goten shook his head as though he remained confused, keeping his eyes on the contained fire in front of him. "Trunks nearly killed himself when Pan almost died during childbirth… That is a good example of the mark. Why do you ask? Did something happen?"

"I don't understand…" Goten trailed off.

"What don't you understand?"

"I've slept with other women. Nothing happened."

"It happens at random, I think," Gohan shook his head. "I have plenty of questions myself, but this is all I know." He watched Goten tense. "So you think you..."

"I think so… What do I do?"

Gohan rubbed his fingers through his hair, gazing at his clearly-miserable brother. "Simple; you give her all the happiness you can."

* * *

Thank every God in existence for Gohan.

He was relieved that he did not press for more information than what he did; The load that had been gradually weighing him down, heavier and heavier by each second, crushing him to the point of asphyxiation, had been lightened; he did not carry this burden alone. His father had endured this, his brother, his best friend… with his niece. And now himself… with Trunks' sister.

In order to make her happy, he would have to face her again.

After leaving his brother's residence, he leapt into the sky and levitated in the air. Despite the progression of the snow storm that was unleashing in his area, he flew at full speed towards the city. It had gotten late, therefore Goten had concluded that Bra would likely be at home. He was un-phased at the snowflakes that had made an attempt to obstruct his vision; nothing, and nobody, could keep him from her. He was still in the process of comprehending the mark from his ancestors, but it felt good. Damn good.

He stopped when the Capsule Corporation was in his sight. He filled his lungs with the fresh air in an attempt to find her specific scent. It had thrilled him when his findings were faint. He followed his instincts and had found her bedroom window, on the right side of the large, dome-shaped residence. He had then seen her, placing a subtle, fake eyelash on her eye in front of the large mirror that was built into the wall. He watched her closely, drinking in her beauty. And she was his.

When he saw that she was finished, he gently tapped on the glass that had separated them. She jumped momentarily, until she saw the source of the surprise noise. Her perfectly-sculpted eyebrows were wrinkled at his spontaneous visit. She looked towards the door to ensure that no one else had witnessed this and came running to the window to open it quickly. "Goten?" He floated merely inches from her, exposing a heart-melting grin. "What are you…?"

"You're so beautiful." He then kissed her soft lips without warning. She quickly wrapped her arms around his torso to pull him into her bedroom. He gripped onto her neatly-groomed hair to pull her closer. The embraces of his lips had spread to her round cheeks and to the side of her neck. A moan of approval had erupted from her throat when she felt his fingers sneak under her dress, caressing her thighs.

"Goten… Mmmm… no… no… stop." The man instantly froze, leaving his lips on her collarbone. "We can't do this…"

He lifted his face to meet her beautiful, blue eyes. "What?"

"We can't do this," she repeated. "I'm sorry."

"Do you want to come ov—"

She took a deep breath to sooth her nerves. "We can't be together." He stared into her eyes for a long moment as she explained. "Goten… I don't know what happened on New Year's Eve. You're my brother's best friend. This just wouldn't—"

"He knocked up my niece, Bra. What's wrong wi—"

"I'm seeing someone." He was immediately silenced, which gave him the opportunity to take the endless plunge into heartbreak. "Goten… You're an amazing person. Incredible." She slowly reached out to touch him, but he swatted her hand away. "I'm so sorry." He closed his eyes to break his view of her. He turned around to open the window and without a second thought, he flew away. After realizing what she had done, she ran to the glass barrier and quickly opened it. "Goten, wait! Come back! No!"

He was already gone.

_Fuck it_. She brushed off her short, black dress and thick, brown leggings. She grabbed her leather jacket and swung it over her shoulders, roughly placing each arm through the sleeves. She took her purse and left her room, walking down the long flight of stairs. She opened the front door and met with the cold again. She looked up to see a black sports car parked by the entrance with a man exiting, whose chin was covered with stubble and with a toothpick between his teeth. "Hey sugarplum. I got a bottle of the _good_ shit with your name all over it. You ready for tonight, baby?" Scowling, she grabbed the man's wrist and escorted him back to his car. "Ooh, you're ready all right." He cackled when he watched her get in the vehicle.


	3. Chapter 2 - Numb

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball, Dragonball Z, or Dragonball GT in any way, shape or form. They are the property of their respectful owners and I created this story for entertainment purposes only. Thank you!

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Chapter 2

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Minutes had passed. Hours. Days. Perhaps even weeks or months. Goten didn't know, nor did he care.

Goten had finished another large bottle of beer and tossed it to the floor, amongst many other empty containers. He cursed himself for not attempting to understand what was happening to him the moment he had touched her; felt her satin skin that had molded perfectly underneath his fingertips. He should have known the possibility that this ancient 'ritual' may not have worked for her. Could Saiyan women even mark others? He wouldn't know, nor did he want to know.

He had released a shaky sigh that he was unaware that he was holding. The large, empty void inside of his heart ached in the greatest agony, torturing him constantly with stabs that only reminded him that he remained on this earth. He had lost track of the last time his eyes had closed to sleep. His once-smooth jawline that she had blessed merely by touching was now blanketed with thin stubble. His eyes, once bright and full of joy, were now darkened with the circles that had developed. He welcomed the void to open wider and consume him into a sweet death; he could not continue existing if he could not have the one that fate had chosen for him.

However, the wallowing in the depression had been interrupted; the sound of knocking on his front door had kept filling his ears. "Go away!" he had snapped.

"_Goten!"_ Gohan shouted.

"I'm busy."

"_So help me, if you do not answer this door-"_

"Fine!" He shouted in anger and finally stood, feeling as though the world was spinning beneath his feet. He stumbled over the new garbage that had accumulated in his bedroom, making his way through the narrow hallway and tripping again when he had approached his door. He opened the home's barrier quickly, showing his aggravation with a scowl. "What do you want?"

"No need to be so hostile. It's just me, bro," Gohan shrugged. Goten said nothing in return; he maintained the scowl on his face. "What happened?"

"A lot," he replied simply. "And no, I don't want to talk about it."

The older half-saiyan blinked. "Goten… I'm worried about you. You haven't left the house in over a week."

"Has it been a week?"

Gohan rolled his eyes. "What is wrong with you?" Goten attempted to slam the door in Gohan's face, only for him to hold the door and squeezing himself in. "Aw, come on, Go-"

"I got rejected, all right!?" he shouted. "Can't I mourn in peace?" The older brother's lips parted. Goten held the bottle of alcohol to his lips and chugged the contents. "Tell me how to break the bond."

"You can't." The hallway was filled with a long pause. Gohan nearly jumped back from the emotions that leaked in his younger brother's eyes when he cried helplessly. "I can't cope with this misery for the rest of my life, knowing I can't have what I need." His back touched the wall and he slid himself to the floor. "I can't… I can't…"

The brother kneeled towards him. "Look… I understand how the mark can destroy you. It's killed thousands of our people on Planet Vegeta. It changes your entire outlook on life. It's not about you anymore. It's about them."

Goten sniffled, fighting more emotion that threatened him in his throat. "And just what do you do when you face rejection?" Gohan blinked dumbfoundedly. "I made a mistake, Gohan."

"No," Gohan shook his head. "You didn't. This is out of your control." He paused, deciding to take a risk. "Who is this woman…?"

The drunken saiyan's eyelids drooped when his eye contact landed on his older brother.

She tightened the sheet around her naked body before placing her lit cigarette to her lips. Her body was exhausted, but her mind was very much awake. Despite the rough, drunken intimacy that she had endured before with Marcus, the man that she had met while having a drink with Marron at a local tavern, her mind was numb as Goten had consumed her entire thought process. She could not shake the hurt that was in his eyes when she had given him the rejection. She was not sure who she hurt worse; Goten, or herself.

She knew that she could not face him again. This could prove difficult, as her brother had married his niece and bore a child with her; this resulted in their families coming together and uniting for any event that her mother could think of. Bra had recalled that blasted New Year's Eve Party that had changed her for what felt like permanently. The touch that had melted her had suckered her in. She would be lying to herself if she said she did not enjoy it. It had felt so natural to lie in his arms as he slept. It felt so… perfect.

She looked to the sleeping, drunken man beside her, who had shared the mass amounts of alcohol with her. He unconsciously scratched the stubble on his chin and jaw, smacking his lips as he slept in his liquor-induced slumber. His hair had stuck in every direction, greasy and sandy brown in color. For a brief moment, she reminisced on the feeling that welled inside of her when she observed Goten sleeping beside her a while ago; now that portion was now an empty, gaping hole that only left her aching. What was worse than loving someone you could not have, was when you are strictly forbidden to love someone that fate had already chosen…

Yet all of the factors had hit her at once; Hearing of the chilling tale of Goten's rage from her brother's perspective had given her goosebumps. Could the roles of the brawl between the best friends be reversed? Despite Trunks's new responsibilities and loyalty to his family, he remained protective over his sister. Could there be a chance that he would empathize?

She had to stay away from Goten somehow, at all costs, if for no other reason, to maintain his safety.

Her thoughts had paused when Marcus had rolled over in his slumber; Perhaps Joki's Tavern was not the appropriate attempt to tackle her feelings. Bra rolled over to face the edge of the bed, as though she was sleeping as well, only to open her purse and pull out a capsulated vehicle. She eased each leg of hers to the carpeted flooring and sat up, staring at the small capsule in her hand. She looked behind herself to view Marcus one more time before she stood to get dressed. She slid her leggings on and then pushed the dress over her head in a quick movement. Casually stepping into her shoes and taking her purse, she quietly walked out of the bedroom.

Her high heels clicked on the hardwood floor while she made her way to the door. She grabbed her coat from the rack and suddenly froze in her tracks. "Where'ya going?"

Bra's hair quickly flipped with her body when she turned around. "I need to get back… I have work to do in the morning," She lied.

Marcus's eyelids squinted, observing her every feature. "What work is more important than me?" Bra had taken this as sarcasm, yet he was serious.

"I promised my mother I would help her with her new project," She replied smoothly, raising an eyebrow. "I'll be back later." She turned her back to him to twist the knob to open the door, only for it to be slammed shut again by Marcus's hand. "You're not going anywhere."

"Excuse me?" Bra's eyebrows lowered. "When I say I'm leaving, I'm leav—"

Suddenly, with a strong hand, Marcus grabbed her throat and slammed her skull against the door. "You answer to me now… Got it?"

"Fuck… You…!" Despite the fear that induced her rapid heart rate, her fight remained. His hold onto her throat had tightened. "Get off of me!" She attempted to scream, only for him to smack her face.

"You don't know who you're messing with," he whispered with gritted teeth. Bra scoffed, which only made him smack her again. He had tossed her with ease onto the floor as though she was a ragdoll. He dropped his knees to be on her level before he slammed his fists against her flesh, seeming to punch her harder the more she had cried at the sudden pain. When the opportunity was open, she thrust her knee into his groin area as hard as she humanly could. Her eyes widened when the man's face twisted into pain and he had dropped to his knees. "Correction. _You_ don't know who you're messing with, buddy." With that, she raised her leg high and smoothly kicked him in the jaw with the heel of her shoe. She turned to place her weight back on her knees and then her feet. Without hesitating, she quickly opened the door again and made a quick escape from his residence. Pushing the button down, she tossed the capsule in front of her and a car had appeared from the puff of smoke. She hopped into the driver's seat and turned the key in the ignition, slamming the accelerator and driving away from the drunk.


	4. Chapter 3 - Determined

Chapter 3

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(Very long) A/N: Thank you all so much for the kind reviews so far! Eternity would have been updated much sooner, but my son has been sick from an illness he caught in preschool, and I wound up catching it and it drove me into my first asthma attack since the 6th grade (which was about 14 years ago. LOL). It's been a very rough weekend for us.  
I also wanted to address a question that has been asked.  
Bra and Pan do indeed have a friendship; however, at the end of "Her Prince", I left off with Trunks proposing to Pan. So they, along with their daughter, are all minor characters in this story, really. I'm simply leaving it as Pan being a very busy woman with her responsibilities, plus I'm working in how Bra does not want to face her either due to the fact that she had slept with her uncle. I will also state this warning: The story is going to get a lot worse before it gets better, and will be a roller coaster just like the first, if not, more.  
*The uncensored version of this story is now available on . You must be 18+ to read. To stay up to the minute on updates, I have a personal Facebook where I also post links to my work as soon as they are available. Send me a friends request and I will happily add you! *  
Again, thank you all so much for reading and I'm looking forward to more reviews!

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What in the hell had she done?

She slid her dress over her head in front of the full-length mirror, hissing at the pain that was inflicted on her purposely-frail body. Once she had witnessed the extent of her injuries in her reflection, she slowly backed away, sucking in several breaths at the induced flaws; this attack had happened one full day ago, she had estimated, and her once-beautiful, ivory skin was now plastered with shades of black and purple splotches. She observed the area of her throat carefully and found the scant prints of his hands and fingers that Marcus had left behind. She looked into her own eyes and, for a very brief moment, saw the scared little girl she once was.

Fear was not allowed in her home… at least as far as she was concerned.

_No_. She and Marcus were through; there was no excuse for what he had done to her. Frustrated, she stripped her underclothes off and stomped into her walk-in closet, in disbelief that she allowed herself to be so vulnerable. Goten had lured her into his bed with his "witchy" saiyan whatever-it-was and had taken advantage of her, and she allowed an older man, who would share the physical label of a 'biker' without the motorcycle, to toss her and beat her relentlessly, both within a week of each other. Her father was Vegeta, the prince of all of her ancestors that had assisted in the purging and termination of many planets, and lives, in their universe, and her mother was the retired brain of the Capsule Corporation who had not taken any bullshit with her clients or sponsors. This combination of her blood should have made her unstoppable. Lethal.

If she was so unstoppable, why did she allow her to be exposed to a physical altercation in the hands of another man?

Both of her parents would be so embarrassed to have such a weakling for an offspring.

_No more_, she had told herself. _Never again_.

She yanked an oversized, turtleneck sweater from a rack along with another pair of leggings, immediately regretting the harsh movement. After she lied her choice of clothing on the bed, she pulled on a new brassiere and matching underwear, determined to hide her former moments of weakness forever, as she naturally sucked in breaths through the pain of the [what felt like] brutal movements she was making. She smirked in satisfaction when she had placed the large sweater over her body, which perfectly hid every temporary imperfection she had. As she stepped into her leggings, she heard a powerful, authoritative voice from the other side of her door. "Daughter!" The alerting was followed with a couple of swift knocks.

"J-Just a minute!" She jumped, but straightened out her sweater and confirmed at all wounds were hidden before she opened the door. "Hi, dad." She had not noticed that her greeting was flat and lacked emotion.

"Bulma wants you downstairs," Vegeta lowered his eyebrows, studying every feature of hers.

"What for?" Bra had noticed this and attempted to shift his attention.

"Something in regards to the grandchild's party," he was unaffected.

"Oh," her voice fell. "I forgot all about that." She had ran her fingers through her hair only to meet with tangles, suddenly discovering that she had not groomed her mane since the night before. When she looked to her father, she found that she was under heavy scrutiny. Her hands began to shake in nervousness; though she knew that she could wrap her father around her pinky any time she had wanted, he remained intimidating to her, as he had possessed the ability to sense things that she was unaware existed. Her beautiful niece was a perfect example of his gift. Attempting to break away from his heavy scanning, she nodded and began to walk down the stairs.

"Just a moment."

Bra immediately turned around, appearing as though she was a deer who met the bright headlights of an oncoming car. Her father's features softened and a smirk was revealed on his lips. "Swallow your pride."

Bra stared at him for a long moment. "What?" His eyes darkened, yet when he said nothing, his daughter scoffed, fighting a smile. "You're weird, dad." She turned back around and walked down the long set of stairs. When she was out of his sight, he rolled his eyes and folded his arms. _Oh,_ _here we go again_.

Goten's energy was slowly deteriorating day by day, and Vegeta was aware. He knew that his daughter was the cause of his misery... and that Bra was more like her father than she would ever know; she would not give in to her predetermined fate without a long, drawn out war within herself. He, too, fought this battle that had raged inside of him for so many years with _her_ mother. And he lost. And so will she. Eventually.

He smirked, recalling the numerous trips and missions into space with Bulma's ships for his training. He could never admit to his daughter that every nerve, muscle and bone had struggled with great intensity to destroy his involuntary marking; all it took was one night of passion and loneliness with the former CEO of Capsule Corporation and he was a changed man for eternity. Despite the decades-long, stubborn transition to call the planet Earth his home, he cautiously allowed the mark to swallow him whole, destroying his pride and surely shaming his ancestors; they would be humiliated if they lived to know that the Prince of planet Vegeta had marked a human. A _human_. However, he could not help it more than they could, as his people were witnesses of the same curse, and even Prince Vegeta was no exception.

"Oh, Good, Bra! You're here!"

Her blue eyes shot up when she heard her mother's sincere greeting. She pushed a smile to appear on her face to hide her physical pain and to silence the groaning that had slowly brewed inside of her throat when she sat across from Bulma at the large, dining room table. "What are you doing?"

Bulma giggled. "I need you to help put these invitations together." She handed a typed print-out of invitees to Bra, which was complete with addresses and the etiquette to write. Without scanning the list in too much detail, she took the first sealed envelope and wrote down information of a person she was not familiar of. She lowered her eyebrows to her mother, who added, "It's for Rin's surprise birthday party! My beautiful granddaughter deserves the best celebration a little girl could ever ask for!" Eyes widened, she continued to elegantly write each name and address as the envelopes would become available.

This activity with her mother helped her enter a peaceful state; Bulma's giggles towards the pink, polka dots and the tied, black ribbon that had held the folded material together had lifted her broken spirit. Perhaps she should aim to be an optimist like her mother. She was sure that she had the fiery spirit inside of her to protect herself from this point forward; it simply needed to be awakened.

Her gaze lifted to watch her father give her a long stare before exiting through the front door. She allowed her forehead to wrinkle in confusion and to focus her attention back to the next address to write down. Her puzzled expression remained when she blinked at the words that, too, stared at her. "G-…Goten?"

"Something wrong, dear?" Bulma lifted her gaze curiously.

"No!" She shouted a little too quickly and jotted his address down on a hot pink envelope. "I just had to find my place again." She felt her fingers tingle when she stared at her writings. Her mother shrugged, continuing to neatly place her handmade notices in envelopes. When Bra knew it was safe, she slowly looked up towards her cheerful parent. "Mom…?"

"Hmm?"

"How did you and dad get together?"

Bulma flashed a smile, reminiscing on the incoming memories that shifted her thoughts. "Your father was something else back in the day. Such a proud man who never let anyone in." The older woman folded her arms and leaned against the table. "I initially met him on Planet Namek, and after Frieza was beaten and we were wished back to earth, I let him stay here for a while." Bulma's eyebrows lowered. "He would not slow down for anything, but we eventually had become… friends," she giggled and Bra blushed. "Things were tough after your brother was born; All he cared about was training and becoming stronger than Goku, so he disappeared for a while to train... After the Cell games, though, his demeanor changed, but it took him a while to adapt to a romantic relationship," She leaned closer to her daughter. "He still has trouble to this day." She could not hold back a laugh, but Bra could only stare at her in worry.

"Pan and Trunks had a weird beginning as well…" The daughter's tone was low when she fixed her stare on Goten's address.

Bulma finished laughing. "I never went into much detail with Vegeta, but he declared that Trunks had left some sort of a 'thing' on Pan. He says it's a part of their traditional mating ritual."

Bra dropped the pen between her fingertips. "What?"

"I don't know," Bulma shrugged. "He's told me all kinds of things about his home planet that I will never understand."

The younger counterpart stared at the front door, desperately pleading herself to ask her father many questions that had suddenly burned in her mind, as though she was being branded; she knew she would never be able to. Frustrated further, she focused her attention on finishing the large stack of filled envelopes that had accumulated during her small discussion with her mother. The more she had thought about Goten, the angrier at herself she had become. How long could she suppress her need for this knowledge? Not very damn long, she concluded, biting the end of her pen. But who, in the very small number of saiyans in existence, could she trust for more information? A light gasp escaped from her lips when the perfect person had entered her mind. To ensure that he would be the correct choice, she had mentally checked all other potential sources. She needed to talk to Gohan.

"I need to go. I'll be back later. I'm sorry." She slammed the pen down and stood, sucking in her silent cries to the pain that continued to plague her body. "Bra? Wha—" She did not stick around to hear her mother's protests; she had already grabbed her purse and walked out the front door.

The ice-cold air that she had breathed in had numbed her and her injuries. She closed her eyes, breathing in the dry atmosphere that surrounded her. Her grip tightened around the strap of her purse, barely hanging on to what sanity she had had left. She welcomed the piercing temperature to hit every inch of her body. It was soothing. Oh, so soothing… better than any therapeutic heat could do. It was as though she was born to brave this weather.

She reached into her purse and pulled out a capsule; after pressing the large button atop the device, she tossed it out onto her sidewalk and a black sports car appeared from the lime green smoke. She closed her eyes again, asking herself if she was ready to face this demon that had been eating her alive.

Her answer was yes.

She placed one foot in front of each other, slowly moving to the vehicle, feeling the accumulating nervousness at the pit of her stomach. Before she had entered her vehicle, she heard a loud whistle, which immediately alerted her. She stiffly twisted her body to the direction opposite of her to maintain as little ache as possible. She had met with a pair of cold, blue eyes from a distance, whose source was standing across the street… with a large bouquet of beautiful, red roses resting in his aged hands.

Marcus's demeanor was sober yet observant. His body was covered with a long, leather jacket, zipped and buttoned to join the two seams together. Once sleek and greasy, his appearance was vibrant and radiant from the sun that had attempted to warm him from the thick clouds that had overcast in a large blanket. Bra immediately snarled at his existence. "What do you want?"

"I want to apologize," his voice cracked, slowly walking across the street.

"Fuck off, Marcus. Get off of our property."

"I was in the wrong… there was no excuse for my behavior," he attempted to defend himself. "You're an incredible person, Bra." He scoffed, fighting a smile. "I should have known not to try Beam again."

"We're through," she placed a hand on her car's door handle.

"Listen…" He ran his fingers through his hair.

"No!" She shouted.

"I love you." He simply said. "I swear to every God above us that I will help put this behind us." Bra blinked. "Please… just give me another chance." She folded her arms, facing him again. "I've had so much time to think… I realize that I can't live without someone like you in my life." He took her hand and placed the bouquet underneath her fingertips. "You are the most amazing person I have ever lied my eyes on in my thirty five-years of life." She felt her chin tremble from his intense stare. "Please…"


	5. Chapter 4 - Scent

Chapter 4

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His bones ached; each muscle in his body had seemed to have turned against him. Despite the wishes of his physical self to simply deteriorate into nothingness, Son Goten forced himself from his bed, emitting a long, quiet groan. His drooping eyes fixed on the floor, slightly shaking from the stretches and the pops of his joints when he extended his limbs forward. He then ran his fingers through his jet black hair, attempting to force his thought processes to cooperate with his will… but all that invaded him was her.

That beautiful, breathtaking bitch that ruined him.

Though his heart and his mind agreed to the same terms, the emotions were against a brutal battle from reality and his torturous desire. He wanted to hate her. No, he needed to hate her. In the same breath, he, too, wished to take this lucky bastard that took her at her discretion and tear his limbs off, so that he could never touch her again. Break both of his hands that felt her soft, smooth porcelain skin, and rip the tongue out of his throat that tasted every inch of her like he once did and desperately craved again. He snarled at his agony, ashamed; no matter what she had done to him, she would be forever his. And much to his dismay, he would always be hers.

Always.

He finally stood, feeling the after-effects of his self destructive routine, continuing to curse the inheritance from his ancestry. If he had not gone to that damn New Year's party at the Capsule Corporation to witness his best friend's tonsil hockey with his niece, he would not be in this predicament. Or would he? Would it have happened at a later time? What in the hell had even drawn him to her to begin with? He felt he would never know, nor was he sure he wanted to obtain this crucial knowledge.

Her ever-fading scent that remained in his bed all this time drifted underneath his nose when he put his feet forward to walk. Feeling as though his poorly-stitched heart ripped open at her smell, it destroyed him further… yet he wished it would stay. He leaned against the wall momentarily, grunting while rubbing his forehead. The alcohol he consumed on a now-daily basis had numbed him for a short time. He was blessed in that aspect, but each morning was always the same; he was cursed with a miserable, throbbing migraine. He shook his head and stood straight again. He had to keep going. Somehow.

He walked down the narrow hallway, overwhelmed at the memories that plagued him. _Damn it, stop! _He swore to himself. She wasn't _that_ special of a woman; after all, he would not classify himself as ugly and could have any other person, women and whores alike, perhaps many at once in his bed in an instant, and he had taken women before. This battle against the mourning that attempted to consume him, though, was different. It was foreign to him… and he was clueless on how to overcome the pain.

Goten opened the door to the outside world and he filled his lungs with the fresh air that welcomed him in a light breeze that lovingly wrapped his exterior. He continued forward on the block path that he installed with his own hands several years ago, walking towards the rarely-traveled road that passed his residence. What had happened next, he was not expecting; he had smelled her familiar scent again. He inhaled the fresh air once again, looking around wildly for the source of this likely-false occurrence. Goten concluded that he was finally losing his mind; he would have to contact his brother to help him travel to the psychiatric ward to seek his inevitable treatment. His eyes fixed on the mailbox that was mere feet from him, finally noticing that the faint scent was only getting stronger the closer he had walked to the mailing structure. He lowered his eyebrows, but quickly proceeded to the small door that separated him from this source. He gripped the handle and opened the mailbox, meeting with a small stack of letters. The smell had filled him and he found himself shaking, as though he was given a drug that he had not greeted since his recovery. He pulled the mail out and had come face to face with the first envelope in the stack; a hot pink envelope, adorned with the words _'it's a party!'_ beside a painted, polka-dotted bow above his address. He raised his eyebrows, realizing that his address was written perfectly… in Bra's handwriting.

He immediately tore the side of the envelope open; to his great delight, the scent inside had drastically changed, which temporarily calmed him and assisted his new grip to reality. He pulled out the contents and read with great focus:

_Look Who's Turning Three! Come Celebrate with Me!  
Surprise Birthday Celebration for Our Darling Angel, Rin  
Saturday, the Fourth of February  
at the hour of Three  
Rose Garden Patio of the Capsule Corporation_

"Rin…" His whisper to himself was strained when his eyes lied on the picture of his niece, which was printed with high quality on the corner of the beautifully decorated invitation. How could have he allowed this beautiful little girl to slip from his mind? For the first time since his encounter with Bra, he smiled from ear to ear, matching the expression of her happiness in the photo. She had truly grown; her overall appearance greatly favored his niece, Pan, and though her eyes were wide and innocent, her eyes were a beautiful shade of blue, just like her father. His eyebrows furrowed in deep thought, wondering if Trunks had endured the same agony that nagged at him. He lifted his eyes and fixed his gaze on his house in thought. He could never accumulate the courage to ask that burning question.

He walked towards his house again, weighing the options of the unexpected proposal. Rin loved spending time with her uncle Goten, and he in return. He smirked, recalling the meeting of those big blue eyes through the large, living room window when he landed in front of their residence for his visits. She would open the door for him and offer to take his jacket and 'hang it up', but eventually gave up when she could not reach the rack and tossed the oversized fabric in the floor.

After entering his residence again, he walked through the first doorway to his right. Despite his previous feuds with Trunks, he loved this little girl that the couple had blessed their families with. He could not let her down.

Then Bra entered his mind when he turned on the hot water and looked at himself in the mirror. He paused; could he face her again without his discomfort ever coming to light?

Goten swallowed the nausea and apprehension, reaching for his shaving cream and razor.

"No! No, no, no! Place the cotton candy machine next to the pony rides!"

It was not Bulma shouting these orders, for it was she, staring at her daughter in absolute bewilderment. The former heiress of the largest company in West City was relieved that Bra held the capabilities to take control of situations, yet it was clear that her demeanor was odd, and had been for some time. She shot a confused stare towards the father of her children, who was standing in the corner of the over-sized patio, visually expressing the same concern that she felt in his own way.

She heard her daughter groan in frustration and her gaze shot back towards her. Bra had then paused and initiated deep, healing breaths to calm herself down. The mother slowly approached her daughter, close enough to hear her mumble incoherent insults at a low level. "You are too much like your father."

Bra stifled a laugh. "How so?"

Bulma shared the same expression. "Your short fuse." Her daughter exposed a perfect, genuine smile before fixing her gaze on a man aggressively focusing on decorating his wooden ice cream stand with pink balloons, all of which were different shades and hues. Bra looked at her wrist-watch and scowled. "Work faster, everyone! The birthday girl is expected to be here in an hour! Get with it!"

Bulma blinked. "We have plenty of vendors that will make sure everything is set up in time." She paused. "Is something troubling you?"

The daughter's eyelids were heavy when her gaze fixed on the brick flooring below her feet. "Just stressed about the party... That's all."

Bulma remained unconvinced when she focused her attention towards the workers, who were scattering at Bra's sudden, un-needed commands, yet the vendors revealed determination at bringing the family's vision of Rin's party to life. The former heiress folded her arms, watching her daughter pull out her cellular telephone long enough to silence the device and shove it back in the pocket of her denim pants. "I will take it from here. Why don't you finish getting ready?"

Bra looked to her mother, horrified. "What?"

"It'll be okay…" Bulma flashed a smile in Bra's direction. Her daughter fondled with her fingertips for several seconds before subtly sulking away. She looked up before walking through the open sliding doors to meet her father's hard stare. Bra froze, hesitantly drinking in the possible motives behind Vegeta's focus. Before she was aware of what was happening, her legs were moving forward in a sprint, running quickly through the open doors. Her chest tightened and her heart pounded in protest against what felt like an invasion. Her body endured a sudden plague of emotions and was unsure of how to rid herself of this disease.

_What in the hell is wrong with me? _

She bit her lip, feeling as though an impending doom would take her at any moment when she ran up the long set of stairs that led to her bedroom. She choked back the uncontrollable sobs that clawed ruthlessly at her throat, begging in its own way for a release. She opened her bedroom door and slammed it shut behind her, feeling herself breathe heavily. "Get it together," she had whispered to herself before she finally leaned her body against the door and slid to the plush carpeting underneath her feet, fighting her racing mind against images that she refused to remember.

"_You're amazing…" She had whispered._

_The room was dimmed; the only exception was that of a single, lit candle that rested on the bedside. She opened her eyes and had met his intense stare that burned for her. Only her. _

Bra had snapped out of the intrusive memory to hear her ringtone fill her ears again. Defeated, she pulled the cellular telephone out of her pocket and observed Marcus's phone number appear in large print on her screen. "Shut the fuck up!" The tendons on her neck stiffened and she chucked the device on her screen across the room, ruthlessly watching the battery and cover break away from the base and landing on the floor when it hit the leg of her desk.

Eventually, she found herself lying on her floor with her knees drawn tightly to her chest, simply staring into nothingness. Why did she have to invite Goten to Rin's birthday party? She could have easily avoided writing down his address on the stamped envelope, and she should have. It occurred to her that he would have learned of the event through Gohan, anyway. She knew that she should not be worried; there was no guarantee he would even show up.

She focused on a piece of her feeling that had been tucked away ever since that night. Oh so hesitantly, she allowed the memories of his burning stares to creep inside her mind. Maybe she wanted to see him come celebrate Rin's special day with them. Maybe she wanted to pull him aside and trip over her own tongue in a shower of apologies. Maybe she was enduring the same pain and anxiety that he felt when she turned him away and ever since then… because she needed him too.

Bra jumped at this realization, noticing that once her thoughts of him invaded every inch of her, she had become calm once again. She wanted Goten. She needed Goten. She was… _in love_ with Goten.

None of this had made sense and she had to snap out of it, for her own sake.

* * *

A/N: This will probably be the only time I will leave a footer note.

It kills me that I had to stop the chapter here because I'm really digging my heels into this plot, but I felt that it was too long. I can't speak for other writers, but I feel that once the chapters get too long, I just start losing focus and I start rambling. Haha. Gotta love ADHD.  
The next chapter will be very intense and is going to take a quite an unexpected turn, so brace yourself for some drama in every direction. I will have the next chapter up as soon as I humanly can! Thank you all so much for reading and your kind reviews!


	6. Chapter 5 - Party

A/N: I am SO sorry I have not updated. I have had a LOT going on.  
I feel that this chapter was getting way too long, so I split it up into 2 parts. Chapter 6 should be up in a day or so. Thank you so much for all of your reviews and kind words!

* * *

Chapter 5

* * *

Despite the cheerful celebration that awaited her downstairs, Bra's walk down the stairs felt as though she was walking to her death.

Her sleek, heeled boots clicked on the hardwood floor when she stepped off of the last stair. She sucked in a long breath and slowly exhaled, closing her eyes and bracing herself for the unknown. She had to remember that this day was for her niece and would do whatever it takes to ensure that all of her wishes come true on this day. She could not help but smile when she imagined her precious niece's expression when she learns of her surprise birthday party. She had pushed this special moment to be captured by the photographers that her mother had hired.

Bra paused when an elderly couple waved to her and had entered the celebration through the sliding glass doors; when she waved in return, the greeting hand immediately swung to her chest, feeling her heart beating harshly against her palm. This day that she had silently dreaded was finally happening; though there were plenty of places to hide, she could not fathom the possibility of letting Rin down, and she wouldn't.

When the sliding glass doors opened for her, she held her chin high and casually walked into the carnival themed party. Outside, she was the arrogant, proud daughter of a prince; inside, her pride was shriveled into nothing.

Her ears were then filled with the chatter from the ever-growing crowd at the highest of volumes. She looked to her surroundings and weakly grinned in approval; luckily, she did not recognize the first face and this discovery greatly suppressed her nervousness. Little children were cheering and running in every direction from the thrill of winning prizes from the games that were offered. "Step right up! Pop a balloon and win a prize!" A cheerful game vendor's voice had boomed over the crowd. A large stage, adorned with magenta curtains, was in front of her and the large amount of attendees, with puppeteers manipulating their characters, entertaining the children whose attention they had captured. To her right was a chair, decorated to appear as a throne, surrounded by dozens and dozens of presents. Her eyes widened, yet it was no surprise to her; hopefully each of Rin's family members would bring a vehicle to haul the gifts home… especially _her_ gift to her niece; She had purchased a large life-sized princess doll with many options of accessories and clothing, along with personal outfits to match the new plastic figure… Rin _was _royalty, after all.

Despite the chaotic feelings that brewed in the pit of her stomach, she felt at peace.

The most distinct voice she had heard was high pitched; demanding. "Can we eat cake now?" She turned around and witnessed Majin Buu entering the party with Hercule Satan, Rin's great-grandfather. Despite his obvious aging, the man managed to navigate better than most men of average athleticism. "I don't think she's here yet, Buu," he smiled warmly. "We have to wait for the birthday girl!"

Bra took advantage of this opportunity and walked to the odd pair to initiate conversation. "Buu, we have an ice cream stand and cotton candy while you wait."

"Yay! Buu want ice cream!" The creation licked his lips and rubbed his hands together, preparing his taste buds and never-ending appetite. "Mr. Satan want ice cream?"

Hercule slowly walked to the large table beside the gifts. "No, thank you. I just need to sit down. My back is killing me."

"Okay, we'll be right back," Bra replied as she escorted Buu through the large crowd towards the medium sized stand between the cotton candy machine and the merry go round. "Ice cream! Buu wants strawberry and chocolate chip!"

"How many scoops, sir?" the friendly vendor had asked.

"Ummmm….." He held out his gloved hands as though he was counting. Bra had stifled a laugh; though he was dim-witted at times and was formerly a feared villain by the universe in its entirety, Majin buu was well-liked by everyone he had met due to his innocent demeanor, as though he was a child. "Seventy! Seventy scoops, please!"

The vendor had jumped back. "Seventy!?"

"Um..." Bra placed a hand on her large friend. "How about starting out small? You can always get more." He looked to the blue-haired young woman at his side, beginning to appear irritated. "Why don't we get… Hmm… Ten scoops for now!"

"Buu can get more?"

"Of course!"

"Hmmm… Buu wants ten scoops of strawberry and chocolate chip, please!" He announced with a wide smile. The vendor, blinking dumbfoundedly, immediately began to prepare his order by reaching for a waffle cone and opening up the appropriate cases of ice cream. Bra had patted her ally on the back, appreciative that they were able to find a common ground. She turned around and gazed at those passing her, somewhat glad that she was able to assist Buu, even if it was something as petty as an order of ice cream.

While Buu waited, Bra casually scanned the area, knowing that her mother had outdone herself by inviting so many guests. However, when her gaze fixed on the entrance, her heart suddenly stopped with a single thud.

Goten had arrived.

He had appeared surprised at the size of this gathering, though he was tense and his stand was stiff, as if he was in a massive amount of pain. _Oh, God._ Her heartbeat then begun again, with the aggressive thumps spreading to her throat. She fought back tears, knowing that she was the reason for this torment.

Gohan and Videl had then appeared behind him; the older brother quickly whispered something in his ear. Goten had turned around, expressing a warm smile towards the couple. After the odd whisper, nothing then seemed amiss, for he had joined in on the conversation between Videl and her father. Despite her desperate need to disappear from the possibility of a sighting, she could not look away. "Oh!" She heard Hercule's authoritative laugh. "He's getting ice cream with Trunks's sister!"

She had watched Goten casually search through the crowd; it was not until then that she was aware that she was cowering behind Majin Buu, who was happily enjoying his ten scoops of ice cream. "Mmm, Mmm, mmm! Ten more, please!" When he heard the young woman laugh nervously, he turned to her. "Bra want ice cream?"

"Oh, no thank you. I have something to contend with at the last minute. Enjoy your ice cream!" Before he could say another word, Bra disappeared into the crowd. _I've got to get out of here._ _I've _got _to get out of here._

She made an effort to remain in the most populated areas of the gathering, asking others if they are enjoying the event. Many had given her their words of approval and some children had shown off their winning prizes to her; this temporarily eased her mind of the intruding, flesh eating butterflies that her stomach was battling with. She could not help but look around several times to assure that Goten was not in sight.

She was unsure of her recent demeanor. Perhaps she was afraid of facing him, for a great portion of her wish was to run and never return, yet another piece of her wished to run into his arms and apologize incessantly for her bad decisions. All that she knew was that she could not deal with these torturous feelings for much longer; something _had_ to give and she knew this… though she was not sure exactly what it would be. She took a deep breath of the fresh, fragranced air, but all she could smell was him. She jumped, looking around frantically for him, yet he was not near her strength of vision. These indescribable feelings of panic and horror were taking over her and she knew that there was no escape.

"Bra!" She heard her mother's voice. "There you are! I've been looking all over for you. Can you come with me?"

"What for?" She attempted to hold her composure, despite the strangling tightness in her throat.

While following her mother, she explained. "When the time comes, I need you to help capture the attention of our guests."

"Sounds easy enough," Bra shrugged.

"Great!" Her mother sounded so cheerful due to the day's accomplishments. "Gohan! Is there any word?" Bra's gaze immediately shot up when she noticed that she was merely feet away from them... And Goten.

And his eyes were squarely on her. Only her.

* * *

A/N: For an up-to-the-minute update, you may "like" my Author page on Facebook: /hollywoodharlow (: Thank you so much for all of the support!


	7. Chapter 6 - Rescue

Chapter 6

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Bulma's questioning towards Gohan had warped into a torturous silence that had numbed her sense of hearing; All of the loud, mindless chatter surrounding the small grouping had slowly followed. She knew that her own body was turning against her, for her throat felt the rising anxiety's intense strangulation. The butterflies in her stomach feasted away at the lining of her stomach, while her heart continued threats of pumping aggressively outside of her chest; her eyes could not leave the handsome man in front of her, as though her vision had frozen. There was no way to avoid him. Nowhere to run or hide. So much of this emotion had overwhelmed her, as for the first time, she had finally felt the pain that she had put Goten through… and she never wanted him to endure such distress again. Goten's intense stare had gripped onto her and she was sure she was suffocating; shriveling up into nonexistence like her pride and her happiness had done so long ago.

She had quickly closed her eyes tightly in an attempt to break away from his stare, silently groveling and begging for this meeting to end, yet she felt the intensity of his gaze as though knives were attacking every inch of her; stabbing, cutting, killing what little bit of herself she had left.

"How are you?"

Her eyes shot up in astonishment that Goten had spoke to her in such a sincere tone. "I'm… great, thank you… how are you?"

"I'm okay," Goten's smile melted her soul, even though she knew that he was lying. "Great party."

She chuckled nervously. "All of the credit goes to my mother."

"Rin will enjoy it."

"I'm sure," she nodded awkwardly, before looking to find that Gohan and Bulma were nowhere to be found; her panic returned in one crushing wave. "Where'd they go?"

With his thumb, he pointed to the plotting pair that was standing several feet away from them. His eyes had fixed on her once again, due to her drooping eyelids and her slow, heavy breathing. "Are you feeling okay?"

She shook her head, feeling there was no use in lying. "I think I'm going to faint." He immediately took her in a hold by placing his arm around her waist and slowly escorted her to a nearby picnic table. A family of four, who was finishing their snack of ice cream and cotton candy and conversing amongst themselves, immediately stood and cleared the seating for her when they observed Bra's ill expression; she had vaguely heard one of the children asking their parents if she was sick, but paid no mind to their response. Goten eased her in a sitting position and he crouched to his knees in front of her. "Would you like some punch? Maybe some sugar will..." She shook her head quickly. He looked to the ground.

"What in the hell...I can't...?" Her eyes squeezed shut when she flexed her fingers in an attempt to ease the tingling. He rested his hands on hers and leaned closer. "You're hyperventilating. Slow your breathing." She opened her eyes and looked at her hands, which she noticed was gripped tightly with his. Her vision shifted to the man in front of her, whose smile was so genuine and soothing; his presence alone had an immediate calming effect. She noticed that his complexion had become more radiant, as though he was glowing, when she found the pounding of her heart had slowed and the tingling had gradually subsided. "I…"

"It makes no sense to me, either, Bra…" He shook his head slowly, not taking his eyes off of her. "But you are beautiful, so-"

"Please don't say that," she shook her head again.

"I'm not allowed complimenting one of the hosts to my niece's party?" He lowered an eyebrow, suppressing a laugh.

"She's my niece too," she choked out a light laugh, but then turned serious. "Goten, I can't do this. I don't know what-" The strangling in her throat had returned. "I just…" When her breathing hastened, he put his hands on her shoulders. "Bra… please relax." She attempted to obey his order. His hands slid down her shoulders and to her arms; the fabric on her torso had slipped, only to accidentally expose a large bruise on her chest. "How in the hell did you get that?"

Bra immediately corrected her wardrobe before shifting his attention. "I need to freshen up. I'll be okay. Thank you for the concern, Goten." She stood and walked around him. He slowly stood and had watched her disappear into the crowd, knowing he could not leave her alone. He scowled, discovering how stubborn that she was from the truth; she had marked him in return. He knew this was the case, for if it was not his daily consumption of alcohol to numb his pain, he would be falling apart before her, just like she did in front of him.

Determined, he walked through the crowd, not bothering to excuse himself when he had bumped into various people. Bra needed to be saved, and no matter what she would do to him or for him in return, he would always be there to pick up the pieces. Whether she liked his persistence or not, his universe only revolved around this arrogant, young woman of royal blood from their ancestry line. No man, no saiyan, no existing source would ever take her away from him.

When the sliding glass doors opened for him to pass, he inhaled the surrounding air deeply in an attempt to trace her scent; it had led him east. He passed the approaching crowd, including Trunks, Pan and his niece. His best friend attempted to greet him, but he was out of sight before Trunks had even lifted his hand in a wave. "Goten?"

"What's eating him?" Pan asked, blinking towards her uncle.

Goten bolted around the sharp corner of the residence, continuing to follow this gradually stronger scent with such determination. His senses were uneasy; he was unsure where he would wind up, but he did not care about her location. He would find her.

"What are you even doing here!?"

He stopped dead in his tracks when Bra's voice boomed through the halls.

"You're ditching me for your loser family! Again! I'm sick of this shit!" The man's voice infuriated him.

"They're not losers, asshole! Give me some space!"

He jumped into the air, levitating to fly quicker to her destination. When he rounded another corner that led to the front door, he suddenly stopped, observing Marcus shove Bra against the wall. She had fallen to the ground after the impact, causing her long, beautiful hair to spill around her delicate body. He gripped onto her silver sweater, exposing her hysterically crying face. The sweater had ripped from his hold when she attempted to break away from him and run to safety. "Get the fuck off of me!"

Marcus had punched her jaw line with such force, she landed face down on the hard floor. He grabbed two fistfuls of her hair, despite her wails and cries, and pulled her into a stand. "You fucking slut." His deep voice was like gravel and emphasized each word by slamming her against the wall repeatedly. "You're mine. Got it!?"

"Stop it!" She cried. "Marcus, stop! You're high!" He had grabbed two handfuls of her lush, blue locks and struggled to pull her through the front door towards his car.

Goten froze at the horrific sight, while her pleas echoed through his mind; he welcomed this new anger that had risen inside of him and allowed it to consume every fiber of his existence. The sight was worse than any rejection Bra could have ever thrown at him. A new war had rose within him and he was ready to go to battle. He flew in their direction and burst through the door; large pieces of wood, and glass shards that had accented the lining of the frame had shattered all around him. The impact had sliced his torso and upper limbs, but he refused to let the superficial cuts stop him. When Marcus was in his line of sight, he charged towards the bastard, whose eyes were widened in terror. With such grace, he had clenched his strong fist around Marcus's throat and slammed him onto the concrete pathway in one quick move. Bra was tossed to the side from the brutal impact. She had opened her eyes to view the assault and done nothing else but scream.

The half saiyan was blinded by this rage. He raised and slammed his fist against Marcus's body as quickly and harshly as his body could allow, not caring which part of the man's body he had hit; his only goal was to ensure the suffering that Marcus richly deserved. Bra found herself and threw her weight forward, clawing against Goten's back in an attempt to pull him off of his new victim. "Goten!" She had shouted. "Goten! Stop! GET OFF OF HIM!"

He suddenly obeyed when he had heard her and just as quickly jumped to his feet as he did attack him. "Do you really expect me to do nothing—"

"This is my figh-!"

He purposely cut her off. "No. No! There is no way I'm allowing you to …." He was gradually cut off when he heard Marcus's quiet grunts when he slowly placed his weight to his hands and knees, wiping the heavy stream of blood that seeped from his nose onto his dirty leather jacket. He picked himself up and turned to face Goten. "That's quite a punch you got there, young man. You would make a good member of my gang..." He paused, snarling. Goten froze; the man's face was pouring in sweat and new blood and his complexion was flushed into a deep shade of red. His cold eyes were dilated and unfocused, as though he was ready to kill. "...Watch your back, buddy."

"Marcus, stop!" Bra shouted.

"Oh, is this your new boyfriend?" He cockily smiled.

"Fuck you!" Goten fought a cringe when he heard Bra's menacing growl. "You knew why this day was so important to me! Get off of this property before I call security!"

Marcus blinked, slowly backing away. "Wh-"

"GO!" She pointed towards the road.

Marcus's physical attitude suddenly changed into a look of pain when he continued to shift his feet behind him, merely staring at her for the last time. Bra folded her arms; her determined scowl had radiated from her being and it had shrunk his pride when his body stopped abruptly, due to his car interrupting his path. "If that's what you want." He paused, staring. "H-Have fun. I'll call you later." His walk was smooth around his car, though he did not take his eyes off of her once. Marcus entered his vehicle and slammed his foot against the gas pedal, speeding away from the young woman's sight.

Bra began to take long, deep breaths before releasing the uncontrollable emotions. Goten had done nothing but place a gentle hand on her shoulder. Her cries had slowly escalated into wails that she had contained ever since the first moment that Marcus had placed a harmful hand on her. The strong man behind her swiftly spun her body around and allowed her to suffocate her cries against his bloodied dress shirt. He wrapped his arms around her with a deep affection, never wishing to let her go again. He paused, allowing himself to rest his chin against her hairline. "I'll fix your door…" He whispered. "Come on, let's get you back inside."

* * *

Despite the delicious aroma that had been created with his own hands in the kitchen, Goten's appetite was lost.

He had finished placing the two, high stacks of pancakes on the serving plate, yet left the freshly scrambled eggs and perfectly cooked bacon in their appropriate pans on the stove. Instead, he simply sat at the table with his chin resting in the palms of his hands, staring out of the window, trying to make sense of the confusion that had cluttered his thoughts. He knew that he was burning alive in many ways, and that there was nothing he could do to ease his suffering. Though he washed the bloodied clothes several times over the week after his justified assault, her strong, hypnotizing scent remained. It was torture; a torture worse than the emptiness of his arms that made the center of him ache in such an insurmountable need. His soul was heavy in worry, wondering if Bra was okay.

He knew he needed to eat, but his body was blind to the hunger. In an attempt to see her again, he had called Bulma several times, groveling over the broken door, silently hoping that his legitimate excuse was enough to visit with Bra without raising suspicion. He braced himself for the anger that he knew the former heiress possessed; instead, her mother was rather thoughtful of the ordeal. She had spoken her sincere appreciation in his offer to assist in the rebuilding of the damage that he was responsible for, but she expressed that there was no need. Bulma, in return, had questioned him just as heavily for answers on what had taken place, but he had told her that it was not his place to discuss, and that she should allow Bra to come to her for the trouble.

Goten released a long, heavy sigh before standing up and walking to his living room, observing the small white box that held his newer escape. Pausing, he gently picked up a small, rolled piece of paper that held delicate contents and placed the very tip between his lips. He pulled the lighter out of his pocket and lit the opposite end, proceeding to deeply inhale the contents. He held the intoxicating smoke into his lungs for several seconds before exhaling, feeling the smoke ease his mind. "I need a jumpstart," he had mumbled to himself. Goten puffed on the substance again and the apprehension continued to cease. He breathed in relief, thankful that his mind had slowed down.

But it quickly sped up again, due to Bra's scent drifting underneath his nose.

A fresh scent.

He jumped to his feet and scanned his surroundings in dire confusion. He held the handmade joint to his lips again and inhaled as he followed the fragrance down the hallway in the cozy abode, noting that this fragrance was much more potent than the smell that lingered on his party clothes. He slowly walked to the front door and froze; this trail had ended there. "I'm finally losing it."

He opened the wooden barrier and found Bra, holding her fist in the air as though she was about to knock. She, too, froze in her tracks when Goten had discovered her standing on his doorstep.

What beauty. _Am I dreaming? _Despite the two layers of clothing, due to the chill weather, the vision of her had hypnotized him, and he would take every pleasure of removing each article from her to expose that beautiful, exquisite body that he loved every single inch of. Not a single hair on her head was out of place, and it was delicately styled to silhouette her thick, turquoise scarf, just as her locks did when she would hover her face over his to capture his lips with hers. Those beautiful, large eyes were squarely on him, just as they were when the two first joined together. Despite her feared expression, she was so beautiful.

Her face had sunk in an attempt to break his gaze. The previous ache of his burning desire had returned in one harsh wave. He had stared at her for one long moment and fought the unbearable urge of swooping her into his arms and taking her to his bed and taste every single inch of her. "Bra! Hey! What are you… What a surprise!" He closed his eyes and shot them open again, attempting to appear as sober as possible.

She stroked each tip of her fingers. "I was just… in this neighborhood and…"

"Hundreds of miles away?" He raised an eyebrow.

The strong odor of the marijuana drifted underneath her nose; she took advantage of this opportunity to spare the awkwardness. "What's that smell?"

"Oh!" Goten looked at the small, makeshift cigarette between his thumb and forefinger. "This? Just, uh, getting the edge off. No big deal." He paused. "D' you want to… come in?"

Bra sighed in relief. "Yes. I've had a long drive."

He nodded, smiling, allowing her to pass him in the doorway and thank him. "I hope you don't mind… uhh," He held up the joint. "This stuff. Hey! If you're hungry, I just made breakfast. Help yourself."

"No, thank you. I actually came here to talk to you." She made her way to the sitting room and sat on the beige couch. He held the joint to his lips and blinked, gawking at her. "Is everything okay?"

"Not really," she released a shaky breath, realizing that the rest of her had been trembling. Breathless, he eased his weight onto the couch beside her. "What's going on?"

"I need to show you this." She pulled out a small newspaper clipping from her purse and handed it to him. Confused, he slowly flipped it open and read the headline: Grisly Discovery Made During Drug Bust. After comprehending the information, he remained confused. "Bra… I don't-?"

"It's Marcus," she faded. "He's dead."


	8. Chapter 7 - High

Chapter 7

* * *

_The sun had peeked from the distant mountains, threatening to unleash its beautiful rays on the small suburb. Thin clouds of gray and lavender hues had silhouetted the sky, which had created a breathtaking view for the residents of this city, who were preparing for the morning of work, school and responsibilities that were coming for them._

_Bra had not slept a single wink in the night after her final feud with Marcus. She could not stop thinking of his attack against her, yet she felt the obligation, the deep need, to apologize to him, despite her lack of recovering much wrongdoing on her behalf. Bra Briefs knew that he was not good company, yet she could not look away. Her pride had forced the wish of initiating peace once again, even if it meant that his presence would increase in toxicity as time would go on._

_And therefore, she stood at the edge of the concrete pathway that led to his home. She knew Goten would never approve of her plans, but she could not think of that; her only focus was her apology._

_Yet something was stopping her. In his yard was three police cruisers, with the vehicles' beautiful lights emitting an eerie glow into the morning air. She blinked, yet she continued to move forward, despite the makeshift caution taping that had been set up in his snow-embedded yard. The door had stood wide open and she merely approached it, peering inside to observe all of the lights on, with one officer taking pictures of various objects and another gathering drug paraphernalia to place in a small bag. "Marcus?"_

_The photographer's eyes had shot up in horror. "Miss, this is a crime scene! Do not enter."_

_"Where's Marcus?"_

_With the strap's assistance, the older man rested the large camera onto his chest. "Please leave. A girl like you does not need to be involved in a ring."_

_"But I… What is going on?" She blinked in confusion, but obeyed and backed her body away from the door's frame._

_The officer pursed his lips discreetly as he stepped outside with her. "Can I ask you your name?"_

_"Bra."_

_He raised his eyebrows. "Aren't you in relation to Bulma Briefs? What is someone like you doing here?"_

_"I am," She gritted between her teeth. "I just need to talk to Marcus."_

_The police officer's face had sobered into stone at these revelations, knowing how much power this young woman's family had with this town. "There was a drug bust at this residence about three o' clock this morning. Seven people were arrested." Bra ran her fingers through her hair and released an aggravated sigh. "So you're a friend of the owner of this house?"_

_She paused in a spontaneous decision to lie. "I am." She nodded. "Thank you." She had then turned to walk away, only for the officer to suddenly put a hand on Bra's shoulder, his tone as sober as his gaze. "Marcus was not arrested, miss Briefs."_

_She froze. "He wasn't? This is his house, why isn't-"_

_"He would be, though, in regular circumstances," He closed his eyes. "There's no easy way to tell you this, as you seem so determined."_

_"What are you talking about?"_

_He fixed his eyes on the young girl in front of him, knowing that his news would hurt her. _  
_"We…" He held his closed fist to his lips. "We… found his body in the bathtub shortly after the arrests. After the discovery, we immediately began our attempts to revive him." He deeply took in Bra's confused stare. "He was gone long before we arrived."_

_She slowly blinked. "... What? No! That's impossible! He-"_

_"I'm sorry, miss… he's gone." The cop attempted to maintain a professional front. "This investigation is still pending to determine the cause of death and if further charges will be filed against the other occupants of the home."_

_"He can't be!" Tears stung at her eyes. "No! ... I... No..." She slowly collapsed to her knees in hysterical cries, only to fall over into the snow, unable to care that the frozen precipitation had bit at her exposed skin. The man had blinked in surprise at her reaction. "Miss?" He kneeled before her._

_She did not hear him, for her wails had disrupted her hearing. The distress of this sudden loss, combined with all of the abuse, arguments, and physical altercations had crashed into her all at once. This time, it was different. She could not reach out to apologize to him. She would never be able to make things right again. Never again would she feel peace, for he died with hatred for her in his heart._

_The officer had watched her release all of the anguish she had felt, helpless to assist her. "I'm so sorry you had to find this out the way you did. I will page for another unit to take you home. You can sit in my cruiser until they arrive. Here..." He held out his other hand. "Let me help you."_

_She slowly sat up, her hair embedded with the frozen snow. "There has to be a mistake!"_

_He took her into a hug. "I'm sorry... but there isn't. Marcus has had too many run-ins with the law. We knew exactly who he was." He stood, pulling her weight with his. He escorted her to the cruiser behind him and had opened the door for her. She collapsed inside in more hysterical wails as he shut the door behind her. He stared at her, realizing that his heartbreak could be seen through his eyes, wishing that he could ease her suffering, but knowing that there was nothing he could do in the case of death._

_The officer pushed a button his dispatch. "We need an additional unit."_

* * *

Goten was petrified stiff, as though his entire being was encased in stone; an equally-eerie silence had filled the small residence, as he could hear a pin dropping from the pine tree in his small neighborhood… miles away. He could not bring himself to speak any words, but only to stare at her, slowly blinking at this news.

Bra had closed her eyes tightly in an attempt to hide her escalating heartbreak. She permitted herself to release some of the sadness that had gripped onto her, yet she wanted to maintain the strong front for Goten's sake; she did not want him to see the full strength of her pain. She slowly shook her head. "This happened last weekend… I contacted different parlors to find which one was taking care of... him, to get more information about his service... The family had requested a private burial…" She swallowed, in an attempt to suppress the cries that were clawing inside of her throat, with her chin trembling against the battle of her mourning. "Goten… I killed him."

"No!" He had finally found himself. "Do not begin to blame yourself for something he-."

"I drove him to that point!" Tears shed down her cheeks. "I had to have! They found him the morning after Rin's party! I can't… It's my fault… I just can't believe…" Her battle was clearly lost. She gazed at the newspaper clipping in his hands and broke into hysterical wails. "I wanted to leave him, but I didn't want him to die!" Goten immediately embraced her with one arm, and eventually the other when she was inconsolable.

"None of this is your fault," he had murmured. "You can't talk like that."

"… I really cared-" she strayed from her statement when she noticed a slight trace of hurt in Goten's eyes. "It's just… I don't know how to cope."

Goten's leaned in, with his lips just inches from her ear. "At least let me be there for you, then…" His features softened; she had been hypnotized into his deep, sincere gaze. "I mean… you did come all this way to visit with me." He laughed nervously. "It's the least I can do."

"Of course… if that's what you want." She watched him inhale the contents of his makeshift cigarette and slowly pull it away from his lips, then witnessing the thick smoke dance elegantly towards the ceiling. She slowly reached for this specimen with the tips of her digits and took the joint from him once it was between his waiting fingers. Not once did they take their eyes off of each other; A welcoming smile curved his lips when he gestured at this casual exchange. "It's all yours."

She weakly smiled and took too long of a drag of the ground-up plant, which caused her to cough violently. However, when her body's sudden rejection of the smoke subsided, she licked her lips at the taste of Goten that faintly lingered, which gave her a whole new high that was like no other. She would be lying to herself if she claimed that she did not miss the passionate brush of his lips against her body. "Mmmmm..." She sat down in her seat and he immediately followed her, resting his arm around the edge of the furniture behind her, watching every movement of hers with his piercing stare. He had to keep control of himself, despite his light buzz, for the sight of her tongue lightly swept against her lips had heightened his brutal yearning for her.

"I'm sorry," She suddenly confessed, unaware that his stare remained on her lips. "Really… I am."

Goten suddenly wondered if this union would end badly. "For?"

"For everything I've done," She continued. "While I was in my own hell, I never thought about what…" She looked to him. "or how you were feeling. It was very selfish."

He blinked, stunned at her sudden apology. "You're already forgiven, Bra… You know that." He watched her inhale on the remainder of the joint. Goten gently reached for the substance in her fingertips and held it to his lips, tasting the trace that her lips had left behind. Without warning, he felt the center of him throbbing in his deep desire. Oh, he needed her. His eyes squeezed shut in an attempt to break his concentration on her.

"What?" She exhaled, fighting a light cough.

He snapped back to her, desperate for an excuse. "I can't let you drive while under the influence."

"I'm barely feeling anything yet!" She pushed him playfully on the chest as he chuckled.

"Oh, come on," he smiled while watching her squash the fire out in the ashtray in front of them. "Let's make the most of it; how about a movie and another one?"

Empty plates of food had littered the coffee table due to their newly developed appetite. The two were laughing hysterically at the romantic drama that they were watching; The woman on the television was running down the street towards a taxi. Bra tried to stand but fell towards the couch due to her loud, uncontrollable giggling. Goten had caught her and chuckled at her ridiculous behavior. "It's not even that funny!"

His tone had made her laugh further, to the point where she could not hold the homemade cigarette to her lips to take another draw. Goten reached around and wrapped his fingers around her wrist to stabilize her movement. She fought her giggly nature long enough to inhale a little of the content's smoke. When she exhaled, she stood again and stretched, feeling her exhaustion lingering. Goten's jaw dropped at the perfect arching of her back when her arms were straight in the air. With impaired judgment, he stood and rested his hands on her side, basking in the softness of her delicate skin. She allowed her body to lean backwards with the knowledge that he would catch her, but she faced the pleasant surprise of her skin brushing with his strong, muscular body. "D' you want to turn the heat down?" When she heard no response, she turned to face him, only to observe the apparency that he was in pain. "Goten?" She laughed until she had found that his arms remained on her lower curves. "Are you okay?"

His eyes trailed to the beautiful swell of her cleavage, which was barely inches from his chest. The influence that he was under had greatly worsened the tortuous pit of desire that he had suffered for her. The saiyan nature within him had screamed for him to keep a hold of her, but he disobeyed and let her go. "I feel great."

"Mmmmm…" She sprawled her body on the couch, seeming to ignore his response. "I feel better."

"Good." This torment was going to kill him. Her stare was towards the ceiling and eyelids began to droop. "Goten… Mmmm… Thank you…." she had slowly drifted into a sleep. This would be the perfect opportunity for him to take her, but the sane side of him had won. He would not touch her without her permission. He slowly backed away and made his way towards the bedroom.

Goten quietly shut the door behind him, panting as though he was in danger for his life. Without allowing the first protest to enter his mind, he pulled his pants and boxer shorts off with one swift move.

Oh, Kami. He needed her. This indescribable feeling that exhausted him had left him choking. Despite the soothing of his nerves of her presence, his soul still burned for her. He realized that this mark was more than simply sharing her company; he needed to touch her. Caress her. Taste her… and ensure that no other man would touch her in the ways that had sent him into this crazed arousal.

It took every ounce of willpower within himself to leave her undisturbed on his couch in her drug induced sleep; however, he was thankful that he had just enough sanity to him that he would not do something that she would regret, even if it would kill him; if he had his own way, he would rip the designer clothing from her body and gladly force his face between her long, porcelain legs to taste the sweet, unique nectar, only for her to lie in a state of paralysis as the aftermath of the brutal fuck that he would give her once he would drive her to that release.

And if it was so, he would not have the first regret.

If he was lucky enough to ever have her again, Bra Briefs was in for it.

Once he was sure that he felt safe that he would not rape her, he had dressed himself again and made his way towards the living room, where she remained sleeping. His gaze had fixed on her innocent, relaxed face, wondering why he had struggled so hard earlier to control himself. He silently walked towards her, breathless at her beauty. What a vision. He hovered over the couch and snuck between her warm body and the back of the sofa. She had turned around and scooted her body closer to his, wrapping her arms around him and nuzzling against his neck. His smile was warm as he brushed her soft, blue locks out of her face. His eyelids, too, had become heavy when he allowed his cheek to rest on her hairline. However, her sleeping state must have disagreed; she shifted her body to face him and lightly brushed her lips on his neck. Bra then rubbed her nose against his strong jawline.

He was too tired to react when he made the beautiful, yet grueling discovery that this moment had felt too right. Her soft, fair skin against his tanned physique. Innocent, vibrant blue locks blending with the deepest, black strands. A perfect combination. Goten wrapped his arm around the beautiful woman and closed his eyes.

"I love you, Bra."

* * *

A/N: I'm SO sorry this is late, everyone. I've been SO busy. The next chapter will be up much, much sooner, I promise! (:


	9. Chapter 8 - Void

Chapter 8

* * *

She was warm, but she felt alone.

Oh, so alone.

Bra Briefs had opened her eyes to view her personal space in the world; for a millisecond, she had automatically expected Goten to be lying beside her, but her arms were empty and cold. Her body was resting on her large bed with a soft, thick blanket atop her lower limbs and chest. She squeezed her eyes shut, attempting to comprehend how she had returned home. Her last recollection of memories was of Goten; his body had given her a strange sense of warmth that she had never felt before, and all that remained was an aching void that she had silently craved to fill once more.

Blinking in great curiosity, she had sat up to observe her bedroom. No sign had alerted her that he had been here except for his lingering scent. Was she even sure that she had seen him to begin with? She had smelled her sweater and confirmed that she did not dream it, for his cologne had wrapped her nose in a warm embrace; it was hypnotizing. Her forehead had tingled in a particular spot, her cheek, and she had rubbed it in confusion. She had only felt this one other time.

_This is ridiculous_, she had thought. Bra had visited his home to inform him of Marcus's death. _Mission accomplished_. Or maybe it wasn't accomplished, as the gaping hole of emptiness seemed to have drastically grown just at the image of his charming smile. She had then realized that she had been this miserable the entire time, ever since that night that she had given herself to Goten, as she finally admitted that she missed him and that no other man could ever take his place.

Or will.

She tossed the blanket off of her and swung her legs to the edge of the bed. Suddenly, she had stiffened at a surprise discovery; beside her large pillow was a red rose, with the stem of the perfect length to fit in her palm. Its petals, vibrant in beautiful red hues, were delicate, feeling like the softest velvet to her fingertips. The scent had danced to her senses and had grabbed her and sucked her in; her heart had fluttered wings and flitted beneath her chest when she had seen the scribbled note underneath this beautiful flower.

_I'm always here. _

Bra blinked. _Goten?_ She took a deep breath and had spun the rose's stem between her fingers, staring at it in amazement. He had actually thought of her enough to ensure that she would be home safe. If his wishes were to woo her, he was off to a great start. _No, no, no…_ she shook her head and rested the flower on the note. She could not do this with him. She had welcomed his friendship with open arms, as her pain was his pain… and vice versa.

His pain was _her_ pain. She had then stared at Marcus's obituary, recalling her gradual deterioration during their relationship. It was that fateful night at the tavern that she had met him. Marron had invited her out for a couple of drinks; she had not spent time with her old friend in a while, so she had accepted this proposal quickly.

That man who had charmed her into a quick relationship, with such allure and seduction, was now lying in a grave due to his own doing. She did not feel_ his_ pain when he had, presumingly, ended his life for the sake of a high. The violent lifestyle had hurt her, yet the heartache was different somehow. It was nagging and clawing at her insides, which resulted in her always looking over her shoulder, as though her own personal light of hope was lurking in the darkest corner. No matter how romantic her relationship with Marcus was, she felt empty. Alone. Dead when she was very much alive.

In an odd sense, she felt that hole was now filled. Goten could not hurt her in the ways that _he_ did, could he?

Her eyes fixed to the door, knowing what she had to do. She stood, leaving the flower and note behind her and walked past the obituary on the bed stand. Not caring to fix her hair or her appearance, she swung the door open and walked down the stairs. She had then found Bulma, sipping on a cup of hot tea while studying the TV, which was airing a conference of some sort.

"Where's dad?"

Bulma perked up. "He's training in the basement." Before her mother could question her tone, Bra was gone, having walked down the long hallway adjacent to the set of stairs.

Bra's scowl was determined. She did not care how much humiliation that she had to endure; she had to know what was happening to her. The only one that held those answers was her father. Her stomach had cringed at the awkward conversation that was to come, but she _had_ to know. She walked down a spiral staircase and had entered the basement floor, knocking on the first door that was to her right. She closed her eyes, took a healing breath and knocked quietly. When she heard footsteps coming for the door, she froze. How would she bring this up? _Oh, hey dad. I think I marked your previous enemy's son. No big deal..._ _Eww_, she had grimaced when she had imagined her intimidating father's reaction; too straight-forward.

Before she had any more time to prepare, the door had opened to reveal Vegeta, who had a white towel draped from the nape of his neck. "What is it?"

She blinked. "Do you have a minute?"

He raised an eyebrow and chuckled while leaning towards the door frame. "I suppose. If your bank account is low again, talk to your mother."

"No, I need to talk to _you_…" She paused. "About the saiyan mark."

When she did not hear a reaction, she looked to Vegeta and noticed that his features had turned to stone. "Come in."

She was surprised when he stepped to the side to allow her entrance. She had entered the large gym and he shut the door behind her. She made her way to the small bench and sat down, breathing heavily to brace herself for his unpredictable personality. He had sat beside her, with his expression unchanging. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything."

He rubbed his palm down his sober face. "The saiyan male's sense of smell is stronger than that of a saiyan female. It occurs when the male is exposed the heat cycle of a woman for the first time."

"Heat cycle?" She blinked.

He looked to her. "He craves the specific scent that the woman releases when she enters said cycle. No other can satisfy him, which explains the many deaths of our people on my planet."

"How so?"

"A female who survived the bearing of a full-blooded child was rare; therefore, the male of a deceased mate would grieve to death. Many died that way, for one cannot survive without the other. It's eternal."

"Oh," she blinked when she stared at the floor.

"Is this about Kakarot's youngest son?" He had asked casually. She gasped and jumped off of the bench. "Dad, I – No, it's just, I don't…"

"I take it you still haven't swallowed your pride and accepted the inevitable." He stood and pierced her with his intense gaze. "I knew the moment that you met at that blasted New Year's party."

"Please don't kill him," she begged. "I don't think he meant to-"

"The only reason I'm not is because you'll die as well," he chuckled darkly while folding his arms.

"What do I do? I don't want this."

He placed a hand on her neck, giving her the false sense of concern while he had walked her to the door. "You will do exactly what I told you to." He opened the door and she walked out, unsatisfied. "And Bra, stop lying; yes, you do."

"But I—"

He then slammed the wooden door in her face and walked back to his personal gym equipment. "Brats."

She stared at the door for a long while before she had walked away. She could not end the mark, at least, not without death occurring. She would take the burden of Marcus's death to her grave, but to walk on this large earth knowing that Goten would die over her, or she over him, was too much turmoil to her emotional state; she could not handle the blood of two deaths on her hands.

Bra had made her way back to her bedroom and slammed the door behind her. Her father's words continued to echo in her mind while a deep growl found its way from her chest to her throat. When her eyes had greeted the rose once again, she had picked it up and lightly inhaled the beautiful fragrance. The humiliation that had pitted into her stomach had made her nauseous when she recalled her father's unobvious knowledge towards the situation. Her mother could easily be blinded from the truth, but nothing had gotten past Vegeta, the prince of all saiyans, who had many encounters and much more experience with his people than she ever would; not following his advice would be foolish… and destructive to everyone around them.

She had sat on her bed and stared at the flower, knowing that eventually, she would have to stop fighting against this. Since she was tied to the handsome half saiyan, she figured that she should make the most of it. Bra reached in her pocket and pulled out her cellular telephone, holding it parallel to the flower. Despite other boyfriends that she had in the past, Goten was too easy to approach. Perhaps it was the fact that he was her brother's best friend. Or that her own mother had so many adventures with his father in previous days.

Or, maybe, just maybe, it was just her pre-determined fate. Regardless, she knew what she had to do.

She pushed in the correct combination of digits into her communication device and lightly pressed the receiver to her ear. She closed her eyes and listened to each ring, which had seemed to each last hours. Time had seemed to have slowed drastically at this wait. What would she say to him? Should she bring this conversation with her father up?

"_Hello?"_

She choked. "G-Goten?"

"_Hey, Bra! How are you?" _

"I'm okay. I just wanted to thank you for bringing me home."

His innocent chuckle had melted her. _"Thank _you_ for coming over."_

She bit her lip. "I was wondering… what are you doing this weekend?"

"_I'm not do—"_

Just as the question had escaped from her lips, the large window beside her balcony door had suddenly shattered into millions of pieces and had littered her plush carpet. She had screamed, but only for a split second, for her body had naturally jumped from her bed and landed on the floor with a loud thud. She eased her weight to her knees and cautiously looked above her sleep furniture to meet with a cold breeze that had drifted into her bedroom. She stood and walked around her bed to survey the damage while carefully watching her step, for the shards could easily attack the delicate skin on her feet. _"What was that?"_ She had found the source of this sudden breakage; a large brick that was a deep crimson in color. She had immediately recognized it; it was one of the blocks that belonged to the makeshift fire pit in Marcus's back yard. _"Hello?"_

This brick, though, was different. On the fixture was a note neatly taped on it and marked with a heavy permanent marker.

_Soon._

Fear immediately pumped through her veins at the new discovery of a car's power roaring away from her residence. Her limbs had shaken involuntarily, terrified for her safety and that of her family. "_Bra? _Bra_?_" Goten's loud noise had echoed from her phone, yet it had slowly become more distant. _"Are you there?"_

Bra could not answer; she collapsed against the broken glass, unconscious.


End file.
